The Princess And The Cat
by socialgirl378
Summary: After being pushed into a bet, Marinette enters the rumored haunted mansion of Gabriel Agreste. When she finds an object as proof of her venture, Marinette goes home. Without realizing that she brought someone to her place. Now stuck living with a catlike demon, Marinette has to find a way to get rid of him for good while dealing with a mystery in her hands.
1. Chapter 1

_The Silver Ring_

 _Maybe it wasn't a good idea._

Marinette trembled at the sight of a dilapidated mansion.

Windows have been boarded up, overgrown plants taking over most of the building even through the cracks. The lawn and pavement infested with weeds and cracks. Part of the roof is caved in, covered up in black soot, evident of a fire. The cream paint faded to a light grey. She even noticed the iron gates had rusted with vines twisting and growing.

Her bluebell eyes scan for anything that may jump at her. Or worse.

"Why did I take the stupid bet?"

 **CRUNCH!**

"Eep!"

She jumps at the sound, much like a scared cat.

 _Oh god, I hope It's a squirrel. Please let it be a squirrel!_

Marinette braces herself only to see nothing happened. She takes a few deep breaths to steady herself.

"Okay, Marinette. You can do this. You can do this."

The blackette cautiously walks up the steps and opens the scratched door. She shudders at the creaking sound. The mansion is a mess, cobwebs in every nook and cranny. Dust blanketing the furniture….well, what's left of it. It looks like a fire had devoured most of the entire place. Tinges of soot are all over the vastly abandoned building.

 _So this is the famous Agreste mansion. It looks very…_

A mouse ran all the way to a dark corner.

"..homey."

Marinette wanders around, trying to find something. Part of the bet Alix made her do is that she has to bring an item from the mansion as proof. Of course, luck as always isn't on her side.

There's nothing to take when they're either broken, melted, or turned to ash like what used to be some kind of pillow.

 _No use for a souvenir right?_

She moves on when a portrait around the corner catches her eye. Due to the severe damage it took, Marinette can only make out one face in particular. It was a woman with blonde hair in a side ponytail. Her crystal green eyes pop out in the portrait. She wore a lovely blue dress from the early 50s. The blackette herself admires the warmth behind the woman's gentle smile.

"She's so beautiful. Though she looks so familiar. Could she be—"

 _Is….is someone watching me?!_

She dares to look behind her, finding no one?

"I think I'm done here." Marinette backs away, heading straight back outside. She is done with this. Screw this bet.

 _My life is more important than some dumb bet!_

"Meow."

Marinette stops running, now near the door. She turns to see a black cat sitting on the bottom stairs. His green eyes bore right through her own, tail swishing back and forth.

 _When did the cat come here?_

She hesitantly waves. "Hello."

The cat meows back.

"Do you live here?"

 _What on earth am I doing? I must be losing my mind, trying to make conversation with a cat._

 _Wait….where is he going?_

The black cat goes up the stairs, ignoring Marinette's cry. Said teen follows after the feline, passing by another portrait, this time completely destroyed. By the time she catches up, the cat slips through a door.

An open door. That she goes through.

"Gotcha! Huh?"

No sign of the cat anywhere.

"What is all of this?"

Unlike what she had seen so far, this particular room is left untouched. Everything is still low sunlight reveals a quaint bedroom for a teenager in the 50s. Posters of rock and roll singers like Elvis are on the walls.

Marinette wanders around the room, looking at each item out of curiosity. From what she can remember from her parents, the Agreste mansion has been vacant for sixty years. It used to be owned by Gabriel Agreste, a fashion designer who died by a mysterious fire in 1955. The cause is still a mystery to this day. Even more mysterious is that no one knew much of his past. There's also rumors that the place is haunted by his spirit. Her best friend Alya believes them. She's always a fan of the paranormal, and she even made a blog that covers supposed activity.

On the other hand, Marinette is usually less inclined to involve herself in the paranormal world.

Hence why her classmate Alix thought she would never go through with her side of the bet. But the blackette is here now, ready to prove her wrong. Maybe she'll just take one thing in here, then she'll be free to go home. Her bluebell eyes then spies upon something.

Resting alongside the boarded up window is a piano with a glossy black finish. Not a hint of dust has touched the gorgeous instrument once looking at it closer.

"Someone must've taken good care of this piano…" Marinette stares at it in awe. Absentmindly sitting down, she presses one of the keys. It plays a lovely sound. She 'oohed' in surprised delight.

She presses another key, hearing an odd sound. Strange. But she paid no mind as the blackette entertains herself with the piano. Her vision however begins to blur, a sense of sleepiness taking hold of her. She didn't notice how the piano began to play itself. But Marinette does as the colors fade away to black and white.

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **BOP!**

 _What on earth?!_

The girl jolts out of her seat. Landing hard on her back. Ow. She stands up, only for her knees to wobble. Her eyes widen in perpetually unadulterated shock. The entire bedroom is now the ballroom area. A huge chandlier hangs right uptop the ceiling. Balloons and streamers spread all around. She gawks at the lovely dresses and suits from the mid 1940s. Expensive jewelry adorned by the women.

Champagne glasses poured in and served. Cheerful laughter, smiling faces, and mouthful eyes all around. Marinette can hear a light-hearted melody playing in the background. An orchestra band is performing for the party with the song. Marinette can also hear some of the lyrics as the lead singer sang his refrain.

 _"Midnight with the stars and you._

 _Midnight at a rendezvous._

 _Your eyes held a message tender._

 _Saying I surrender all my love for you."_

She sees a gentleman reading a newspaper on the sofa. At a closer look, the year 1945 stands out. 1945? Has she just time traveled or is this some sort of dream. It has to be a dream. There's no way that this mansion somehow...sent her back in time. Marinette wanders around, surprised that no one noticed her at all.

That is soon answered when she spies the same woman from the portrait walking towards her. Marinette froze, panic seeping through her very soul.

 _Why can't I move?! I don't know what she'll do to me if-_

The blackette loses her train of thought as the woman walks directly through Marinette's body.

The uneasy tingling feeling lingers, alarming her. Marinette looks down only to see her hands now transparent. The teen is practically invisible to everyone.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen."

A masculine voice cuts off the blackette's train of thoughts. Looking up, she sees the voice came from a tall and imposing man. His grey-blue eyes yield signs of kindness and generosity. Standing next to him is the same blonde from before.

"I would like to thank you all for supporting the reopening of Agreste Fashions."

Thr crowd minus Marinette clapped cheerfully.

Agreste Fashions? Could this man be the mysterious fashion designer Gabriel Agreste? And what about the woman?

 _Wait...that's Emilie 's his wife! The late famous model of Paris!_

What is going on? Why is Marinette seeing all of this? And she could've sworn she heard someone laughing.

Emilie seemed to have heard it as well, considering the fact she excused herself and heads to the kitchen. Marinette follows after her, ignoring the same uneasy feeling as she passes through the crowd. She notices how the kitchen looks a lot different than the present. It feels more...welcoming. She also notices a ruff of blonde hair hiding behind a cabinet.

"Where are you, sweetie?"

Marinette saw Emilie smiling as she crept towards the boy. Before he could run, the model caught him.

"Gotcha!"

She hoisted the four year old up into the comfort of her arms. The boy giggled joyfully.

"You got me, Mama. You got me!"

 _That must be her son. They were playing hide and seek._

A fuzzy feeling warms up Marinette's chest. It reminds her when she used to play such games with her mother when she was a kid.

 _What happened to them?_

A sense of drive took over Marinette. She wants to find out more about the Agreste family and what led to the tragedy of 1955?

 _Great, now I sound like...A...l...y..._

Her vision starts to blur again. She lost control of her legs as reality around her fades away.

* * *

.

.

Marinette sits up quickly, almost giving herself whiplash.

It felt like a strange dream. Except she never recalled falling asleep.

"Meow."

The blackette sees that the same cat is now sitting on the piano bench. Again, he stares at Marinette, green eyes unblinking.

"Where were you, you sneaky cat?"

She reaches a hand towards the cat, only to hiss at her.

"Jeez, not a friendly one huh?" The cat ignores her, licking his paw. Marinette grumbles with disdain.

 _What is with this cat? He's so strange_.

The cat suddenly jumps off, revealing a silver ring sitting on the piano bench. How did she not saw this before? It's impossible for it to show up out of nowhere. Marinette tries not to question more as she picks up the ring. Looking at it, it's a simple signet silver with no initals or amything else to identify the owner.

Acidic green eyes suddenly appear out of the shadows behind Marinette. The atomsphere changed ominously, giving her chills.

 _I-is someone here?!_

The eyes then disappear once the blackette turns around. Panicked, she runs away from the room. She quickly goes back to the first floor, zooming past the main door.

Instead of taking the bus like she did eariler, Marinette speeds through the abandoned street, crossing through traffic of people and cars. She continues down more blocks, not noticing the moon high in the sky.

It isn't until she reaches the bakery Marinette stops. Her heart still beats rapidly in her chest, breaths coming out in fast uneven puffs. There's no way she's going back there. Not in a million years. She unclenches her fist to find the ring still in her hand.

 _Well, at least no one would tease me as a scaredy cat anymore_.

"Marinette, are you back from Alya's? It's time for dinner."

 _Dinner? But it's 2 pm, right?_

The teen checks the time on her phone, eyes widening at the numbers.

 _I was in that mansion for three hours?!_

Before she could think more about it, her mother calls for her again.

"Coming Maman!"

As Marinette goes inside her home, the black cat watches her from a distance. A Cheshire-cat like grin forms on his face with gleaming green eyes.

 _Thanks for freeing me, Princess._

* * *

 ** _Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of a new series that span about five chapters or so. May change depending on the content. The cover's done by a fellow artist from Miraculous Amino as an art request. Their username is Hentai boi, so check them out please! This time, I plan on writing this story to the end! I'm currently working on the latter half of chapter two right now, and I'm not stopping!_**

 ** _And one more thing before signing off, the song mentioned in this chapter is "Midnight, The Stars And You" by Al Boilly. Yes it's the song that played in the ending of "The Shining"._**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Cat Wanderer_**

 _Candles._

 _Darkness._

 _A man speaking._

 _A strange book filled with ominous symbols._

 _And pain. So much….p a i n….._

* * *

Marinette gasped as she wakes up. Her hands are still shaking, her heart's pounding, and the hair clings to her sweaty skin. She couldn't remember much about the nightmare, other than the excruciating agony and the helpless feeling.

A tear drips down her cheek. The blackette quickly wipes it away. She keeps having the same nightmare for three days now. It always end with the unsettling sensation of her body being burned slowly. That terrifies her to her very core. It felt like she was dying.

Her eyes fell to her clock. She lowly chuckled.

 _Of course it's 2 in the morning. Why am I not surprised?_

It's usually around the middle of night when Marinette wakes up from her nightmare. Since it was the weekend, she didn't had trouble taking a nap during the day to make up for lost sleep. But today is Monday which means she needs to get ready for school soon. Never a good idea to sleep during class. She'll just have to hope that she can stay awake through that time.

 **THUMP! THUMP!**

Marinette turns to the left. On her window is a black cat sitting there. It has a paw on the glass.

 _Again? Why are cats coming here now?_

She couldn't help but notice the cat looks familiar to the one she encountered before. They both share the same eyes and fur. Though there's no way they're the same cat. There's a bunch of cats in Paris with the same features. Then why does a part of her says otherwise? Come to think of it, her repeated nightmare and the black feline visits seem to happen after she left the mansion exactly three days ago..

 _What could it possibly mean?_

She looks down to stare at the ring sitting near her desk. The moonlight shines upon it, giving the jewelry a glimmering glow. It entices Marinette with its mysterious aura, tempting her to find its secrets. She quickly snaps out of the trance.

 _That was weird. Now what to do with the….cat?_

She turns back to see no sign of the cat in the window. As quickly as it appeared, the black feline mysteriously vanished. Marinette flops back on her bed. Knowing herself, it'll be hard for her to fall back asleep. So she walks down the stairs, sits on her chair and turns on the computer. Might as well pass the time by researching the Agreste family's history.

* * *

 _ **The next morning...**_

"Shoot! I slept through my alarm!"

Marinette runs out of the bakery, her backpack in hand. She must've fallen asleep sometime in the morning, because her mom found her sleeping on her computer desk. The blackette had checked her phone to see her alarm had went off earlier. She barely had breakfast as she's trying to get to school on time. Marinette made quick apologies to strangers she clumsily bumped into.

She speeds through the entrance and the courtyard. Right as she finishes walking up the stairs, the bell started ringing. The blackette stumbles into her classroom.

"Girl, you barely made it." Marinette's best friend Alya smirks. "Slept through your alarm again?"

She got her answer when her friend groans exasperated. Marinette slumps down on her seat next to the ombre brunette.

"So, how did the mansion go? Did you see any ghosts?"

Marinette murmured, "Not really."

Alya peers at her friend. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes." Marinette lifts her head up. "The only thing I saw was a black cat. And before you're about to say it, I'm pretty sure the cat's alive."

"Hmm." Alya wondered. "But did you heard anything? Like doors closing, footsteps, whispers?"

Marinette giggled. "Nope. Didn't heard any sound at all."

 _At least, I think so._

"Anything else?"

The blackette isn't sure about telling Alya about the foreboding feeling or the vision she had. They're both something she still has a hard time believing.

"Nada."

"Man, I thought for sure you'll at least saw the old guy." Her friend pulls up an old photo of Gabriel Agreste on her phone.

 _Well I technically saw him in a vision._

"I'm sorry, Alya. There was nothing there. But I did brought something from there."

That got her friend more excited.

"Show it to me."

Marinette chuckled lightly. "Alright, alright. Just one sec." She opens up her small bag and looks for the silver ring inside.

That's supposed to be inside.

 _Oh no._

She facepalms herself. Of course she left the ring at home. Marinette was in such a hurry to school. She forgot to actually bring it with her. Great, just great. And everyone's expecting to see it soon.

 _Could this get any worse?_

"Hey Marinette!"

 _Yes it can._

Because Alix is now standing near her desk, being smug as usual.

"Looks like you're having trouble finding something, Marinette."

Said teen tries to lie. "What? That's crazy. Of course I'm not missing anything!"

Alya facepalms beside her. The pink-haired teen is not amused.

"Right. Mari, just admit the loss. I can't wait to watch the Stab marathon with you."

Marinette visibly gulped. She's absolutely terrified of horror movies, and her friends knew that.

"N-not until lunch. That was the deal, right?"

Alix's about to say something only to be interrupted by a familiar shrill laugh.

"Oh please, It's obvious you never went to that dinky mansion, Mari trash."

A rich blonde walks in, her loyal friend Sabrina trailing behind her. Marinette, Alya, and Alix all glare at the spoiled girl. Chloe.

"Since when did you care to join in, brat?" The pink-haired teen hissed.

The mayor's daughter examines her manicured nails. "Since Marinette became hypocritical and lied for her gain."

 _What did she just call me?! Just calm down. Don't let her get to you._

"Are you calling me a liar, Chloe? Because I remember you clearly said that you saw a monster last year." Marinette coolly countered back.

 _Hook, line, and sinker._

"It was the truth! That thing gave a horrible fright! It could've killed me." The blonde melodramatically cried.

"More like a pigeon scared the crap out of you." Alya teased the blonde, adding fuel to the fire.

Before Chloe could retort, their teacher Madam Bustier enters the classroom.

"I would like everyone to be in their seats."

* * *

The click clang of the clock echoes her ears. Marinette watches the time slowly ticking, nearing lunch hour. She's itching to get back home to find the ring.

 _Come on! Why can it go faster?_

"Psst!"

The blackette looks down, a piece of paper folded only for her. Alya's hazel eyes looks at Marinette for a split second. She pays attention again to the lesson. Marinette quietly unfolds the paper.

'You seem to be antsy, girl. Is it about that souvenir?'

She writes out her response while pretending to be interested in her teacher's lecture. She passes back to Alya.

'I just really need to get home. I don't want to be seen as a liar.'

Marinette waits for her friend to finish reading. She tries to remember where the jewelry was last seen in her room.

 _I think I left it on my computer desk._

The note is passed back to her.

'Don't be so stressed out, Marinette. I know you wouldn't lie unless it's for the greater good. You're an honest person.'

She smiles at the compliment. The blackette quickly writes back, and gives it back to her.

'Thanks Alya.'

 **BRRRRING!**

 _YES! Finally!_

The lunch bell started ringing. Marinette quickly packs up her supplies. She barely noticed her teacher saying something as she scrams out of the classroom. Alya rolls her eyes before packing up herself. Marinette runs across the courtyard, and pushes open the doors. Her eyes squint from the sunlight. Passerby tried to avoid her as much as possible.

Tom and Sabine heard their daughter coming from the bell ringing louder.

"Marinette, You're here a bit early." The burly man's rolling out the dough.

Said teen rapidly waves towards her parents. "Hi maman! Papa! Just need to grab something!"

"But sweetie! Don't forget your lunch!" Her mother holds out a paper bag with a sandwich and cookie inside.

"It'll only take a second!" Marinette hurriedly passes the bakery. She opens the door to the apartment.

The blackette runs through the living room and kitchen. Marinette takes the stairs to her bedroom above. But then she hears something coming from there.

 _What's going on in my room?_

It sounded like music is playing. She doesn't recall playing any music before she went to school. Even if she did, her parents would've turned her computer off a while ago. Alya never said anything about coming here, so that rules her out. This made Marinette feel greatly fearful. She readies herself just in case with her purse.

Treading her footsteps carefully, the blackette slowly reaches the trapdoor. She gently pushes it up, puts her head out and—

 _Oh merde._

A young boy her age is dancing. Inside her room. And he's FLOATING?! Yup, he's definitely floating. Oh look, he's wearing a a suit with a green bowtie. That's nice. The only thing missing is a suit jacket. Does he even have a jacket? Why is she thinking about fashion right now?

 _Wait…are those…..cat ears? CAT EARS? ….AND A TAIL?!_

 _I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming again. This has to be a dream._

Marinette pinches herself with her free arm.

 _Ouch! NOPE! This is real! Oh gosh!_

The strange boy lip synches to an oldie rock song playing on Marinette's computer.

 _"Oh well, I'm the kind of guy who will never settle down._

 _Where pretty girls are, well you know that I'm around._

 _I kiss 'em and I love 'em, cause to me they're all the same._

 _I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em they don't even know my name._

 _They call me the wanderer, the wanderer._

 _I roam around, around, arou—"_

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!" Marinette shouted angrily at the cat male.

He faces her with a devilish grin. As though he isn't taking her seriously. That ticks her off even more.

"Hello there m'lady! The name's Chat Noir, demon of Paris."

"Demon?" Are the cat ears and tail considered to be demonic?

The newly dubbed Chat Noir straightens his bow tie. "Yup! And I'm here to make a proposition for ya, Princess! You se—"

 **SMACK!**

A pillow smacks the demon' s face hard, throwing him off balance.

"I don't care what deal you're making! Just get out of my room now!" Marinette threw more objects at Chat.

The cat demon dodged every item. "Listen lady! I'm trying to—HEY!" He almost got hit by a heavy textbook.

She lifts open the trapdoor. "Maman! Papa! There's someone in my room!"

Her parents heard the call, and rushed to their daughter's bedroom. Tom has his fists up and ready. Sabine holds a broom like a sword.

"Where's the intruder?" Tom lowly asked Marinette.

"He's right here, Papa!" She points to Chat Noir, who is floating next to her.

Her parents look at her confused.

"But sweetie. There's no one next to you." Sabine clarified.

"But he's right here! I'm telling you the truth!"

 _I don't understand. The stupid cat is literally next to me! I can see him laughing at me._

She side-glared at a barely held together demon, muffling his laughter with his gloved claws. She probably looks crazy to her parents right now. Why couldn't they see him? Is there a reason why—mon dieu! Marinette jumps at the sight of Chat now staring at her very closely.

 _When did he-?_

"Did I forget to mention no one can see me unless I allow them?" He chides her playfully. "Better think of a good excuse."

The blackette wants to smack that grin off his face. But she can't do that with her parents watching her. So….she needs to lie. Again.

"It-it was just a spider! It left, so nothing to worry about!"

Tom and Sabine glanced each other before smiling at their daughter.

"That's a relief. I'm glad you're safe, sweetheart." Her father starts to head down.

"Me too. I'm sorry to bother you guys."

"It's not a problem, sweetie." Sabine quickly said before the trapdoor shuts down. Marinette relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. She scrutinizes Chat, still grinning at her.

"Okay, Chat Noir." She stresses out his name. "Why are you here?"

Said demon's ears perked up, his grin growing wider. "Now asking the right questions, eh?"

He peers right into her bluebell eyes. "I'm here for that ring you took from the old mansion."

She blinks owlishly. "The ring?"

"You know, that silver ring? The one with the blank signet? The thing is, it belongs to me."

 _WHAT?!_

"Huh?"

"Bet'cha didn't know that. I mean you would if you weren't so focused on that bet." His green eyes gleamed confidently.

Marinette's hand curls into a fist. "How did you know about t—"

"I've been watching you for days, Princess." His cheeky grin sends a mix of revulsion and fear down her spine.

She grinds her teeth. "You were spying on me? Since when?"

But Marinette has a guess the moment she saw that sly gleam.

Chat lightly chuckled, "After you took that first step. I recalled you were... chasing after moi?"

Even though her assumption proved correct, Marinette's still visibly shocked. Judging from what he implied….

"Y-you…were the black cat. Weren't you?"

The demon smiles crookedly. Marinette starts to simmer in her rage.

"You were!"

He then has the gall to laugh at her. His cheeks are turning slightly red.

"You're the one who watched me this entire time! Do you have any idea how creepy that is?!" She growled.

Chat Noir tried to calm down. "Well—hahaha! Not exac—"

"Of course you don't! You wouldn't understand the meaning of privacy."

That statement certainly calmed him down now. "Whoa! Just so you know, I—"

"Another thing, you don't waltz into someone's room without permission!"

Now he's really getting mad. "Hey, I'm trying to sa—"

"At least warn someone first. Why can you just come in like normal peo—"

She finds herself slammed against the pink wall. Marinette opens her eyes that had been closed just a moment ago. She regrets opening them. Menacing green eyes burn through her ocean blue ones. His black mask dripping down his face, amplifying the chilling slasher smile. The blackette forgot how to breathe, pinpricks of fear threatening to burst. She noticed the song has stopped playing. Her computer and the bedroom lights had begun to flicker ominously.

Chat whispers in a dark tone. _**"Well you just shut up and let me talk?"**_

Marinette nodded, too afraid to say anything lest she incurred more of his wrath.

"Good." He reverts back to his normal self like a quick switch. The eerie aura fades away, and the lights stops flickering.

 _This guy is terrifying._

"Now, back to what I was saying earlier. I want my ring back, and I prefer it in a box or something." The demon lifts his gloved hand, expecting to have it back. But Marinette looks at him dubiously.

She frowned, "No."

Chat's eye twitched. "Excuse me?"

"At least, not yet," Marinette amended. "I still need to bring it for my friends."

 _The last thing I want is you getting angry again._

The demon sneered at her. "Oh that's right. You're still trying to prove your friends you went to the spooky mansion." He chuckles at the end.

 _Is he making fun of me?_

She seethes at him. "Look! I don't have time to deal with you right now. I have to meet them back at school in…"

Her eyes widened in panicked shock at the time. "Five minutes?!"

 _OH GOD I'M GONNA BE LATE! THEY'RE COUNTING ON ME!_

The blackette scrounges through her desk, throwing things away in the process.

"YES! I found it!" She managed to find the ring that was hiding behind the computer. Marinette then rummaged through her jewelry box.

Meanwhile, Chat watches the human with amusement. He thought it was funny for someone to go at insane speed over a trivial matter. Marinette attached the ring to a silver chain she found. She quickly clasps it under her shirt, and runs out of her room. The demon chortled as he followed her. Marinette hurried past the kitchen, stuffing her lunch in her mouth. She waves bye to her parents before heading outside.

Even though she doesn't live far from the school, the blackette rushed through the Parisian multitude. She accidentally bumped into a couple strangers along the way, blurting out quick apologies.

"Whoa! Didn't expect someone like you to run like that, Princess."

"Aaa!"

She almost tripped herself on the sidewalk. Marinette collected herself, glaring at the cheeky demon.

"What the foutre are you doing here?!" She growled.

"Well m'lady," He leans closer to her. "There's a purrty good explanation fur that."

 _Did he just…pun?_

She deadpans, "Don't tell me that was a pun."

Chat acts offended, "What's wrong with puns? They're pawsome."

"Stop please." Marinette groaned, rolling her eyes at the pun. She starts running again, crossing the street.

The demon obliged, subtly clearing his throat. "My ring happens to be bound to my essence. I'm doomed to follow wherever it goes."

The blackette had to bite her lip from freaking out loudly.

 _You gotta be kidding me._

She sarcastically muttered, "great."

Marinette finally makes it to the school entrance with just two minutes to spare. Her friends are chatting with each other behind the steps.

"Wow."

She turns to Chat, who seems to be in awe. This made her confused. Just what's so special about her school? Like most schools, it's not really interesting. And yet to him, it's like a kid staring at the display of a candy store. But then, his expression changes to something more somber and…. unexplainable.

 _I never saw him like this before._

It pulls at her heartstrings. But why though?

"Hey," Chat stiffened from the sound of her voice. "Are you alright?" Marinette asked out of concern.

He quickly recovered himself. "Yeah, I'm purrfectly fine." He smirked deviously.

Marinette facepalmed.

 _Why did I even bother?_

"Yo girl!"

She perks up to see Alya and Nino waving at her. Marinette waves back. "It'll be just a moment!"

The blackette quickly ducks to the back corner of the school.

She sternly looks at Chat Noir. "Don't do anything here."

"Your wish is my command, m'lady." He mockily bowed.

She ignores him, coming out to join her friends.

"Hey guys."

"Thought you weren't gonna show up." Alix teased playfully.

Marinette giggled, "I'm not the type to go back on my word. Here's my proof." She pulls out the ring from underneath her shirt. It hangs dingily on the chain necklace.

Everyone stares at it in shock. They couldn't believe someone generally afraid managed to enter the mansion. Bringing something with her is a bonus.

"Dude, you actually went to the Agreste mansion?!" Nino murmured, utterly breathless from the news.

"Yup! It wasn't easy, but I managed." She couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. Even though she doesn't exactly know how, but it's best not to question it.

"I still can't believe you actually did it!" The DJ is still in awe. "That place is weird."

"Hey!" Alya jabbed him in the side. "Aren't you the one who think ghosts on videos are special effects?"

Unlike Alya, Nino is skeptical of the paranormal. He thinks they're made up just to scare people. Both opposite beliefs has led to a couple arguments from time to time.

Nino rolls his eyes. "Yeah, but everyone knows how creepy that mansion is."

"But guess who went in? This girl right here!" Alya proudly cheered, putting an arm around a bashful Marinette.

"Oh come on, a-anyone could do it."

"What was it like in there?" Juleka curiously asked.

Marinette begins to delve into her experience inside the abandoned mansion. The only parts she omitted from her story are the strange vision and the cat who turned out to be an annoying demon. Alix feels bummed that she lost the bet. She hates watching romantic movies, but reluctantly accepts her fate. The bell starts to ring. Classes are about to resume in seven minutes.

Everyone drifted apart as they entered the school. Marinette's about to follow them only to jump when a clawed hand touches her shoulder.

"Aren't you forgetting something Princess?"

Her tense posture relaxed, fear now changed to annoyance.

The blackette glares at the cheeky demon. "You didn't have to do that, you know?"

"Hey, how else am I supposed to get your attenti—AAAAA!"

Chat lets out a catlike shriek and quickly hides in a bush.

 _Did something just…scared him?_

Marinette looks to find the source of his reaction. It didn't take long to see a blue butterfly fluttering near the bush. Chat scurries out of there.

A demon scared of a butterfly.

She laughs at him. Chat Noir glares at her with a deep frown. Other students passing by eyed Marinette warily.

"Not funny." He angrily muttered. His tail twitches.

Now holding onto her sides, the blackette giggles hard to the point she couldn't breathe. "Y-you're a-afraid of butterflies?"

Chat grits his teeth. His cheeks are starting to flush from embarrassment. "Can I just have my ring back?"

"Alright." She calms herself down. "Alright."

Marinette starts to unclasp the necklace.

 _The sooner I get this off, that annoying cat will be out of m—_

 _"You got me, Mama. You got me!"_

The image of Emilie and her young son pops up in Marinette's mind. A flurry of emotions swirled around her. She found it inside there. The very mansion where a happy family once lived. Where a dear little boy was playing hide and seek with his mother.

"Hey I'm still waiting! Hello?" Chat's losing his patience.

Marinette snaps out of her daze. "I…" She bit her lip. "I can't." She stops unclasping the necklace.

His tail twitches more out of agitation. "Are you serious? I really need that back. It's mine!"

"Well then, you're gonna have to be more patient because I am not giving it back to you for a while."

The blackette swiftly turns away, heading straight to her class. She strides through the courtyard.

"You're sure driving a hard bargain, Princess." Chat floats after her. "You do realize I'm stuck with you right?"

"Then maybe I'll find a way to get rid of you."

"Ha! Good luck with that, m'lady."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for the reviews and follows! They mean a lot to me. I'll try to answer a few here and every subsequent chapter! For Guest, I didn't realize what I was doing until you told me. You may have a point that I could've changed it to a thought, but at the same time, I do like the idea that she was talking to herself just so that she wouldn't be so scared as she was. I tend to do that myself when I'm in a place I find terrifying so I guess I may have drew that from personal experience. Thank you for the suggestion though!**_

 _ **Chapter three is still being currently worked on for now. I get stuck on what to write next at times, and I just started college today, so I may be preoccupied with homework sooner or later. Be patient! This story is not going to die.**_

 _ **Now as I sign off, the song Chat was lip-synching in this chapter is "The Wanderer" by Dion.**_


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